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I used the SpongeBob images for this project because it was one of the personal things I used in my lessons to connect with the students. I used the gif above in particular to explain muscle energy and it was successful. They were very excited to see SpongeBob and were more engaged in the lesson because of a simple image.

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What did I learn from this experience that will help me in my future teaching practice?

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What did I learn from this experience that will help me in my future teaching practice?

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Unfortunately because of my practicum I feel I didn't get to experience as much as I should have and therefore did not learn as much as I would have hoped. However, during my time I did experience some things such as it goes a long way to get to know each student personally. Also children are more intelligent than what they are sometimes given credit for; it depends on the support and resources they have to get them there. I also learned it is very important to plan ahead, revise and record everything. From watching my associate teacher I also learned what I do not want to do as a teacher, which is doing the same repetitive thing everyday, it didn't challenge them and I could see how bored the students were. I want to keep things interesting so the students are excited to come to school and learn new things.

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What types of teaching strategies did I employ? Were students engaged in the lessons I prepared? 

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What types of teaching strategies did I employ? Were students engaged in the lessons I prepared? 

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I was only able to do two lessons before I left my placement; however, every lesson I tried to include something that would be relevant or interesting to the students, such as using props, images or assignments that incorporated their interests to connect them while still teaching. For the most part this worked out well, when the student can relate and connect to what they are learning they become more interested. Getting their attention came easily. It was later in the lesson when they would trickle off where I had trouble keeping the students focused. I tried to keep every activity or lesson around 15-20 minutes but I found I had to move on quicker than expected or they would become uninterested.

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was I prepared for each lesson plan? was I organized?

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was I prepared for each lesson plan? was I organized?

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I tried to be as organized as I could be with an associate teacher who was inconsistent in what they expected of me and the lesson plans. She contradicted herself in any advice she gave so it was hard to follow along with what she expected of me. For example completely scratched out the inclusivity and diversity section of my lesson plan and the following day circle and highlighted it.  She also gave me resources she used in previous years and when I pulled from that she said not to trust the resources. Made me redo lesson plans everyday last minute, multiple times. It felt as though she wanted things a particular way but wouldn't tell me what that was.

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Unfortunately the main problem I experienced during my placement was how my associate teacher treated me.  My Grandmother passed away my second week of placement and I was unable to come to school, this caused some stress about missing placement however it was mainly how my associate teacher responded to this. The best way I can think to explain is she treated me as though I faked my grandmother's death. I was constantly being talked down to and shut down with no guidance. She used words like shit and disaster to describe my lesson plans, she also told me the students don't deserve my terrible lesson plans after my first ever lesson.  No matter how many times I revised and changed them it was never good enough. It was almost more confusing to have to take all her advice because she constantly contradicted herself. She told me on day 5 and everyday I attended after that she was thinking of failing me and I should rethink my career choice. I could go on about all the different things that went wrong with this associate teacher but mostly I am disappointed this is how my first teaching experience ended.  I went in open minded, she does have much more experience than I do however I could not handle the negativity and I quit my placement.

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I enjoyed making and teaching lessons. Being in a classroom environment only reassures me that I am making the right career choice for myself. There were a  lot of first experiences both for me as well as for the students as I was in a grade 1 class. I got the chance to attend their first field trip! I also made great connections with the students. I prioritized getting to know each student to connect with them on a more personal level and a chance to gain their respect and trust. That was reflected in their excitement to share things with me as well as how they treated me during my lessons since I could connect with them.